Driven torque rail anchor construction



Nov. 1, 1966 F. w. HOLSTEIN 3,

DRIVEN TORQUE RAIL ANCHOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 11, 1964 FIG./

DRIVE FIG. 3 :|l' ll l I H 4 3 a l l f l 5b S e 50.

6a INVENTOR FREDERICK W. HOLSTEIN United States Patent 3,282,507 DRIVEN TORQUE RAIL ANCHOR CONSTRUCTION Frederick W. Holstein, Hopatcong, N.J., assignor to The Rails Company, Maplewood, NJ. Filed Aug. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 388,777 1 Claim. (Cl. 238-349) My invention relates to driven torque rail anchor construction for two way holding of rail-s against longitudinal motion and which is interchangeable on all rail sections. It is low in cost, readily adjustable for wear or irregularities, re-usable over and over again as rail is renewed or relocated, highly effective in its action and provided with accurate and informative means to determine and maintain that high effectiveness, even when installed by unskillel labor.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction described in this specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiment of my invention within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing illustrative of my invention at present preferred, FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, illustrative of an assembly of rail, tieplate and anchor positioned for installation; FIG. 2 shows the rotatable wedge or cam device of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 with the rail anchor positioned for maximum effective action. Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My device, as shown, comprises a semi-circular malleable iron wedge or cam member 5, preferably a casting, a spring steel, heat treated, V-shaped clamp 6 of uniform rectangular section, and a plate template 1. Among the distinctive features of the invention is the provision of the fiat-sided approximately semi-circular cast construction of the wedge member 5 to permit stable preliminary anchoring and placement, as shown in FIG. 1, and V- clamp construction 6 to permit an initial tension and set by driving the clamp with a sledge or spike-maul at a projecting drive loop at the V-junction of the legs, thereby getting accurate positioning for most eifective action, which is determined, when finalized (FIG. 3), by a suitable pre-formed template 1.

To this end the wedge member 5 has a polygonal periphery including a long, diametrically disposed side 50 of such proportions as to provide a flat land 5a on one end at such an angle as to rest evenly on the top of the base of the rail whereupon the other end 5b then rests against the web of the rail, thereby to provide a definite location with respect to the rail spike hole 8 in the tieplate 9, as determined by the angle and proportions of the flat land.

In such position the V-shaped spring clamp 6, with one leg over the reduced central portion 4 of the wedge member 5 and locked there by the higher sides (FIG. 2) so "ice as to serve as a pivot bearing, has the hooked blunt end 6a of the other leg in the spike hole 8 ready to be driven into the supporting tie (not shown) which is normally prepared in advance by driving a dead head punch into the tie. The tieplate 9 may be fastened to the tie as usual by spikes in the openings 7 or by rail spikes, as ll (FIG. 3) or by both.

With the accurate positioning of the device completed, the V-spring 6 is then driven, the blunt end is hooked beneath the tieplate, as in FIG. 3, and the spring 6 thus has a preliminary stretch and firm grip, correctly lining up the wedge member 5. Then a bar wrench may be inserted into an opening 3 in the wedge member and the casting turned counter-clockwise. It is thus wedged to desired position as gauged by a suitable template 1 when placed, as shown in FIG. 3, with its point where the spring 6 contacts the upper, outer edge of the rail spike opening 8. To facilitate precise placement of the casting 5 initially and prevent confusion, preferably on the flat side is placed an arrow or other indicator 2 to show the end that goes against the web of the rail.

What I claim is:

In a driven torque anchor construction for railroad rails including a rail having a base and a web, a tie and a tieplate spiked in position and provided with a rail spike opening adjacent the rail base edge, a semi-circular wedge member having a reduced central portion and a long diametrical side at one end of which is an angularly disposed flat land said wedge member having a polygonal periphery between said flat land and said diametrical side the angular relation between said diameti'ical side and said flat land being such that the flat land and the end of the diametrical side opposite said land will abut, simultaneously, evenly the top surface of the rail base and the rail web, respectively, so as to preliminarily position stably the wedge member with respect to said spike opening in the tieplate and a V-Shaped spring clamp of substantially uniform section with one leg adapted to be fitted over the reduced central portion of the wedge member to serve as a pivot bearing for the wedge member, and having a blunt hooked end on the other leg projecting into said rail spike opening, said spring clamp also having an upwardly projecting loop at the V-junction of the legs to provide a driving head aligned with the blunt end so situate that a blow thereon will drive said blunt end into the tie and hook said end under the tieplate whereby to give tension and set to said spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,386,315 10/ 1945 Holstein 23 8-341 FOREIGN PATENTS 932,499 1/1955 Germany.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

